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amo

CritianViolatti
pulihedon30Decemer2014

amo(reigned623/624-658C)waakingofthelavwhowareponileforthefoundationof
thefirtrecordedpoliticalentitofthelavicpeople,uuallreferredtoaamompire.ince
writingwanotintroducedintolaviccultureuntilthe9thand10thcenturieC,thereareno
contemporaraccountonamowrittenthelav.TheprimarourceonamoiaFrankih
documentofuncertainauthorhipknownatheChronicleofFredegar,originallwritteninthe7th
centurC.AlthoughmancholarhavedeatedtheauthorhipandreliailitofFredegar'
account,itigenerallacceptedtodaaarelialeourcewrittenaingleauthor.Whileno
hitorianorcholaraccepttheclaimthatFredegarwaaneewitnetotheeventherecord,iti
elievedthathehadaccetodocument,orwitnee,relatingtothoeevent.

ORIGIN&RITOPOWR
AccordingtotheChronicleofFredegar,amowaoriginallaFrankihmerchantwhomahaveeen
akindofarm-dealerwhoprovidedthelavwithweapon.Hemakehifirtappearancein
hitoratomepointin623/624C,inthefortiethearofChlothar'reign.Therewereman
lavictrieatthattime,utonetrieinparticular,theWend,electedamoatheirleaderand
king.Theexactlocationofamokingdomitilladeatedmatter,andeveralplacearound
lovakia,lovenia,andeaternAutriahaveeenpropoedathecentreofamorealm.The
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Wendwerealavicconfederation,notahomogeneoutriewho,the5thcenturC,occupied
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anareaetweentheOderRivertotheeatandtheleandaalerivertothewet,neighouring
theweternorderoftheterritoroccupiedtheFrank.Duringthe6thcenturC,theFrank
andotherGermanicgroupalternatedperiodofpeaceandwarwiththeWend.Chiefamong
theeadverarie/allieweretheAvarunderaanI(562/565-602C),whouedtheWenda
front-linehocktroopinattle.ThehitorianFlorinCurtaciteFredegarinclaimingthatthe
WendweretotallujecttotheAvarunderaanI.InthefollowingpaagefromCurta'work,
Fredegaruetheword"Hun"for"Avar"awahicommonpractice:
Everyyear,theHunswinteredwiththeSlavs,sleepingwiththeirwivesand
daughters,andinadditiontheSlavspaidtributeandenduredmanyother
burdens.ThesonsborntotheHunsbytheSlavs'wivesanddaughters
eventuallyfoundthisshamefuloppressionintolerableandso,asIsaid,they
refusedtoobeytheirlordsandstartedtoriseinrebellion(SlavsinFredegar,
148149).

AMOORGANIZDANARMYAGAINTTHAVARAND
PROVDTOAKILLDCOMMANDR.HDFATDTH
AVARONNUMROUOCCAION,ANDHFRDTH
LAVFROMAVAROPPRION.
aanIdiedin602C,andtheAvarmpireegantofallapartoonafter.aanIhadledhiarm
againttheforceoftheaternRomanmpirerepeatedlincec.568Cand,eveneforehi
death,theempirehadeguntomoilizetopuhtheAvaracktowardPannonia.AfteraanI'
death,however,theempireincreaediteffort.
TheaternmpiredroveitarmieagainttheAvarand,ataouttheametime,amotookthe
initiativeforhipeople.Weknowfromancientaccountthatamoorganizedanarmagaintthe
Avarandprovedtoeakilledcommander.HedefeatedtheAvaronnumerouoccaion,and
hefreedthelavfromtheirumiiontoAvaroppreion.Itinotclearwhetherthiconflicttook
placeafteroreforetheiegeofContantinoplein626C.Ifwetaketheancientdocumentat
facevalue,thenamoledaWendihreellionagainttheAvarin624C,eforetheiegeof
Contantinople.However,cholarhaveregularlnotedconcernaoutthereliailitofthe
chronologpreentedintheChronicleofFredegaranduggetthatamo'militarcampaign
againttheAvaractualltookplaceaftertheiegeofContantinople,whichwouldmeanthatamo
tookadvantageoftheAvardefeattofreethelavofAvarrule.Thicenariowouldeemtomake
themoteneinthattheAvarwereinavulneralepoitionfollowingtheirdefeatat
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Contantinople,andakilledleaderwouldhaverecognizedthiathetimetotrike.Thedateof
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624CmakeleeneinthatitiknownthatthelavtookpartintheiegeofContantinople,
omethingthemotlikelwouldnothavedonehadtherecentlthrownoffAvarrule.
Whateverthecaemae,amogainedthefavourofthelavafterprovinghileaderhipand
couragedefeatingtheAvar.arlinthe600'C,afterufferingmultipleAvar/lavicraid,the
Romanorganizedacampaignagaintthemwithnopoitivereult.AforceoflavandAvar
joinedtogether,withtheupportofothergroupuchatheulgar,andlaidiegeto
Contantinoplein626C.TheRomanrepelledtheattack,andtheararianleftempt-handed.
AworkGeorgeofPiidia(7thcenturC)uggetconflictetweentheAvarandthelav
eruptedaftertheirdefeatin626C,uttenionetweenthetwopeoplearerecordedearlier
Fredegar,andtheconflictetweenthelavandAvarwerealmotcertainlthereultofdecadelongoppreionoftheformerthelatter.Whatthelavwerelackingwaatrongleader,and
thatleaderwaamo.

XPANIONOFAMOKINGDOM
amoalouiltaolidpoliticalleaderhipforgingalliancewitheveralWendihfamilie:hei
reportedtohavemarriedatleattwelveWendihwomenwhoorehim22onand15daughter.
Hiinvolvementinlong-ditancetradeecuredhimconideralewealthandhightatu.Thitatu,
however,didnotecurehinewkingdomagaintthepowerfulFrankonhiorder.TheFrank
wereChritian,whilethelavunderamowerepagan;thiituationeemedtojutif,tothe
Frank,theirrepeatedinvaionoflaviclandunderthepreteneofconverion.amonegotiateda
treatwithDagoertI,theFrankihking,utthepeacewouldnotlatforlong.
Inc.630C,DagoertIdemandedthatamoendhimthoelavwhohad"killedandroeda
greatnumerofFrankihmerchant."amoagreedthatuchcriminalhouldepunihedutonl
afterdueprocehaddeterminedwhothewereandwh-orif-thehadcommitteduchcrime.
amo"impltatedhiintentiontoholdaninvetigationothatjuticecouldedoneinthi
dipute,awellainotherthathadarienetweentheminthemeantime(Fredegar,IV,68).He
thereforerefuedtoendtheaccuedmentotheFrankihking.DagoertIeizeduponthirefual
aareachofthetreatandledalargeexpeditionagaintthelav.
Alreadapowerfulman,amopoitionecameeventrongerin631Cwhenhedefeatedthe
FrankintheattleofWogatiurg.DagoertIledaforceofthreearmieagaintthelavwho,
commandedamo,defeatedtheFrankihinvader,decimatingtheirforce,anddrivingthe
urvivorfromthefield.AareultoftheFrankihdefeat,everallavicgroupthatwere
uordinatetotheFrankwerereleaedfromtheirervitude,andalocalleadernamedDervan(alo
knownaDervanu)declaredhiloaltandumiion,andthatofhipeople,toamo.Thu,
Dervanjoinedamoandupportedhiminhiuequentmilitarcampaign.Afterthevictor
againttheFrank,amoinvadedandraidedtheeaternfrontieroftheFrankihrealmeveraltime.
Concernedaoutthelavicraid,theFrankihauthoritieappointedRadulf,theDukeofThuringia,
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withthetakofprotectingtheFrankihorderagaintamothreat.Radulfwainitialluccefulin
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defendingtheFrankihorderagaintamout,ometimearound640C,aninternalFrankih
politicaltruggleforcedRadulftoattleagaintotherFrankihgroup.TheChronicleofFredegar
tatethatRadulfthenoughttotrengthenhipoitionforminganalliancewithamo,
whichmeanthatamopowerandpretigewatillignificantatthattime.NoFrankihforcecould
tandagainthim,andheecuredhikingdomagaintallfutureattemptatoutidecontrolor
invaionforthenext18ear.

AMODATH
amodiedin658C,andthekingdomhehaduiltdiedwithhim.Depitehiinfluence,power,and
wealth,noneofhi22onucceededhimaaking.Thimauggetthat,withinthepolitical
tructureofthelav,rulewanotinheritedutgrantedaeduponperonalmerit(awaknown
toethecaewiththeAvarpriortoaanI'rule).amo'oneemtohavelackedtheirfather'
kill,andnoucceortothekingdomhefoundedirecorded.TheAvarwiftlenteredthe
territoroccupiedthelavafteramodiedandre-etalihedtheirprevioudominanceover
thepeopleuntiltheirdefeattheFrankunderCharlemagnein796C.Thepowerfulpoitionof
thelavintheregionduringamotimediminihedwiftlafterhideathwhentheecame
ujectof,firt,theAvar,andthenoftheFrank.Awithmangreatleader,amo'individual
characterheldhipeopletogether,andhikillinleaderhipandattleallowedthemtoproper,
uttheevirtuewerenotpaedontohiucceor.Heirememeredtodaaagreatkingand
charimaticleaderwhounitedhipeopleintheirfightforfreedomanducceeded,evenifonlfor
alimitedtime.

AOUTTHAUTHOR
CRITIANVIOLATTI
CritianViolattiiafreelancewriter,currentltudingArchaeologatthe
UniveritofLeiceter,ngland.Heiaregularcontriutorandoneofthe
editorofAncientHitorncclopedia.

HLPUWRITMOR
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COMAMMR

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ILIOGRAPHY
AvarJohuaJ.Mark
lav-AncientHitorncclopediaDefinition
lavinFredegarandPaultheDeacon:Medievalgenor`courgeofGod'?FlorinCurta
Curta,F,TheMakingofthelav(CamridgeUniveritPre,2014).
Durant,W,TheAgeofFaith(FineCommunication,1964).
Wallace-Hadrill,J.M,TheFourthookoftheChronicleofFredegar(Praeger,1981).
CITTHIWORK

LGALNOTIC
WrittenCritianViolatti,pulihedon30Decemer2014underthefollowinglicene:CreativeCommon:
Attriution-NonCommercial-hareAlike .Thiliceneletotherremix,tweak,anduilduponthicontentnoncommerciall,alongathecredittheauthorandlicenetheirnewcreationundertheidenticalterm.

ADVRTIMNT

RMOVAD

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